Odor eliminating apparatus for toilets and the like

ABSTRACT

An odor eliminating apparatus for eliminating odorous compounds from a toilet bowl includes a housing with an extension disposed inside the bowl above the headspace of the water. A fan establishes an air flow through the housing to exhaust gases from the bowl. A filter eliminates the odorous compounds and optionally refreshes the air. The apparatus may be portable so that it can be installed onto and removed from the bowl as desired.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 61/635,002 filed Apr. 18, 2012 and incorporated herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

a. Field of Invention

The present application relates generally to an odor-eliminating apparatus. More specifically, the invention involves an exhaust system that attaches to a standard toilet bowl to eliminate and filter out all odors. The odor-eliminating apparatus includes a housing constructed so that it can be readily attached and removed to and from a toilet bowl, and also includes an exhaust system having an air filter and an exhaust fan and is arranged to exhaust gases from the bowl.

b. Background of the Invention

The odor eliminating industry is congested with fragrant sprays, candles, and diffusers, all primarily relying on some scent for masking bad odors. Newer products have also been introduced that attempt to go beyond masking odors and effectively eliminating them by using molecules that bind to odor receptors. However, these products are used only after the odor has already settled in specific areas and therefore are quite ineffective, especially in places like toilets.

Other products for odor elimination include ceiling exhaust fans that are utilized to push air out of a room and through a ceiling opening. However, ceiling exhaust fans do not eliminate odor at the source. Instead, the odors dissipate throughout a room or other open space first before reaching the ceiling fan and persons within the room or space are already exposed to these odors. Thus, at best, ceiling fans are successful in merely reducing the odor concentration of odor producing particles in a room and are incapable of eliminating such particles at their source, i.e., before one or more persons in a room are exposed to them. Furthermore, ceiling exhaust fans require permanent installation including expensive and labor intensive duct work, mounting hardware for mounting the fan to the duct work and a hardwired power line.

Thus, there is a need for an odor-eliminating apparatus for toilets and the like that eliminates odor at the source, without chemical sprays, allowing for a true odor-free environment in a bathroom or other enclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for removing odorous gases from a toilet bowl includes a housing that saddles the bowl and can be easily removed from it. The housing includes an extension forming an air intake with an inlet port disposed in the headspace within the bowl. A fan within the housing evacuates odorous gases from the headspace to the outside through the housing, The fan is triggered by a proximity switch and stays on after each use. Lights on the housing indicate when the apparatus is operational (preferably by illuminating the bowl), or when its battery and optionally. Some lights may generate UV light for disinfecting the bowl.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-described and other advantages and features of the present disclosure will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings of which

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a toilet with a portable odor eliminating apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the odor eliminating apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side cross-sectional view of the odor eliminating apparatus taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows an elevational view of the odor eliminating apparatus taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the odor eliminating apparatus;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the toilet of FIG. 1 with the seat lowered over the odor eliminating apparatus;

FIG. 7 shows a side sectional view of the odor eliminating apparatus in use taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows an end cross sectional view of the odor eliminating apparatus indicating gas flow at the inlet thereof taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of the electrical elements of the odor eliminating apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIG. 1, a typical toilet 10 includes a bowl 12, a seat 14 that is pivotable between an upright position shown in this figure and a lowered position shown in FIG. 6, and a water tank 16. The bowl 12 includes a lip 18 including a horizontal lip surface 20 that is generally ring shaped and is formed between an outer wall 22 and an inner wall 24. The inner and outer walls 24, 22 are generally vertical. The toilet bowl 12 is normally partially filled with water having an upper water surface 26, with a headspace 28 formed within the toilet bowl 12 and above the water surface 26. During or immediately after use of the toilet 10, this headspace is filled with odorous gases and, therefore, in accordance with this invention, an odor eliminating apparatus 30 is provided for eliminating these odorous gases. As clearly seen already in FIG. 1, the apparatus 30 is mounted over, or saddles the lip 18. It is obvious to one skilled in the art that the illustrated toilet 10 is typical of those devices, and that the present apparatus may be used with almost any toilet or any similar bowl-shaped device of similar function.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, apparatus 30 includes a housing 32 shaped and sized to form a gas intake 34 that sits on top of the lip 18 and a generally spherical external portion 60 disposed laterally outside the toilet bowl 18. The gas intake 34 is generally L-shaped around the lip 18 and it includes a horizontal length or portion 36 having a top surface 37, a bottom surface 39 and a downward vertical extension 38 extending into the headspace 28 toward the water surface 26. When the apparatus 30 is installed in the toilet bowl 12, horizontal portion 36 is positioned so that it extends above and rests upon the horizontal lip surface 20. The vertical extension 38 includes an outer wall 46, an inner wall 47 and is disposed along, and desirably comes in contact with inner wall 24 as seen in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7. Vertical extension 38 ends with an enlarged rib 40 disposed below the lower edge of wall 24 and extends radially outwardly from the headspace 28 to hook under the lip 18. Desirably, with said configuration, the horizontal portion 34 and the vertical portion 38 clip snugly over the lip 18.

Optionally, the gas intake 34 or at least its extension 38 may be slightly flexible so that as the apparatus 30 is inserted over the lip 18, the rib 40 rides along wall 24 and then, when the apparatus 30 is fully seated on the toilet bowl, the rib 40 snaps outwardly so that the lip 18 is trapped between the extension 38 and wall 64, the latter being described in more detail below. This structure insures that the apparatus 30 is firmly seated on the toilet bowl 12 and does not fall off inadvertently.

Extension 38 further includes an outer protrusion 54 on wall 46. A plurality of LEDs 48 are arranged in a row on protrusion 54 as shown. The extension 38 and horizontal portion 36 define a generally horizontal gas passageway 50. The passageway 50 is formed with an inlet port 52 opening into headspace 28 and generally disposed at an angle of 45 degrees as shown. Preferably the inlet port 52 is several inches (e.g., 1-3″) below the horizontal surface 20 to exhaust the headspace in the toilet bowl quickly and efficiently.

Preferably the outer wall 46 is formed with rib 54 having a triangular cross section. The LEDs 48 are disposed on this rib 54 facing generally downward so that they do not shine into a person's eyes. In one embodiment, LEDs 48 provide mostly illumination. In another embodiment, they produce UV or other radiation selected to sanitize the toilet bowl and its contents and headspace. Such LED's are well-known in the art

The external portion 60 of the apparatus 30 is positioned so that it is covered by a segment 62 of top surface 37. Segment 62 supports a proximity sensor 68 and an indication light 70, that may be an LED. The function and operation of the sensor 68 and light 70, is discussed below.

Portion 60 further includes a vertical inner wall 64 that can abut the vertical outer surface 22 of the toilet bowl 18, and an outer wall 66 that is generally hemispherical in shape.

The walls 64, 66 cooperate to define a cavity 80. This cavity 80 is partitioned by internal walls into several chambers aligned vertically on top of each other. Starting from the top, the first chamber is the upper chamber 82. This cavity forms a plenum receiving odorous gases through gas passageway 50. Under the upper chamber 82 is a fan chamber 84 receiving a fan 86 of conventional construction. Laterally adjacent to chambers 82, 84 is a battery chamber 88 receiving a battery 90.

Under the fan chamber 84 there is a filter chamber 92. This filter chamber 92 has a generally rectangular opening 94. A cassette 96, see FIG. 5, can be inserted through the opening 94 into chamber 92. The cassette 94 desirably holds two filters 98, 100. Filter 98 is a preferably a carbon filter designed to absorb and neutralize odorous components. Filter 100 is impregnated with a deodorizing compound for deodorizing or refreshing the gases. Filter 100 could be scented with a fragrance as well, provided in the form of a gel. The cassette 96 may be made available separately to the users so that the users can change them at will, for example, every two weeks, by inserting them into or withdrawing them from the apparatus 30.

Under the filter chamber 92 there is a curved exhaust chamber 102. This exhaust chamber is formed with a plurality of round holes 104 in the outer wall 68. Generally the holes 104 are oriented in a downward direction as shown. One or more ribs 106 are provided on the outer wall 68 to create an esthetically pleasing design.

Preferably, as seen in FIG. 5, the apparatus 30 cam be made of three pieces 110, 112, 114, that can be made of a plastic material by molding or other similar operation, and then joined by screws, or other known means, as is generally known in the component-assembly art. Piece 110 forms a shell for the cavity 80. Piece 112 forms a top surface 37 and outer wall 46 of the gas intake 34. Piece 114 is generally U-shaped and it includes the inner wall 64 oriented vertically that closes off the cavity 80, bottom wall 39 of portion 36 and inner wall 47 of extension 38. When the parts 110, 112, 114 are assembled, the walls 39, 37 and 46, 47 define the passageway 50.

FIG. 9 shows a control circuit 120 for the apparatus 30. The circuit is powered by the battery 90 and includes conventional components, such as voltage regulators and the like which have been omitted for the sake of clarity. The control circuit 120 is provided on a printed circuit board (not shown) mounted under the proximity sensor 68 or any other convenient location.

Circuit 120 includes a controller 122 implemented by any conventional microprocessor. The controller receives an input from the proximity sensor 68. Preferably the proximity sensor is passive infrared sensor, such as a Panasonic EKMB-1201112.

The controller 122 selectively activates the fan 86 via a transistor 126 as well as LEDS 48 and 70. The fan 86 is rated at 13 CFM and at 3.5 VDC, it turns at about 4700 RPM.

The apparatus 30 is constructed and arranged to be mounted under the seat 14. In this position, the apparatus 30 is secured laterally on the lip 18 of toilet bowl 12 as shown in FIG. 6 and it is normally active at all times as long as battery 90 can provide power. The indicator light 70, LEDs 48 and the fan 86 are all off.

When a person comes close to the toilet 10, his or her presence is sensed by the proximity sensor 68 and an appropriate signal is sent to the controller 122. AS shown in FIG. 7, the proximity sensor 68 senses a portion of a person P sitting on the seat 14. However, note that the sensor 68 is triggered, whether or not a person sits on the seat 14, as during male urination. In response to this signal, the controller 122 turns transistor 126 on thereby activating the fan 86. The LEDs 48 are also activated to illuminate the bowl and indicate that the apparatus 30 started exhausting the headspace in the toilet. The fan 86 causes odorous gases from the head space 28 in the toilet bowl 12 to be evacuated through inlet port 52. From this port, the gases flow through channel 50 into the upper chamber 82. From the chamber 82 the gases flow past the fan 86, through the filters 98, 100. Filter 98 removes noxious odors and filter 100 deodorizes the gases. From the filters, the gases flow into chamber 102 and are pushed out into the atmosphere through holes 104, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. In this manner, the fan 86 establishes an air flow from the inlet port 52 to the air exhaust defined by the holes 104.

Preferably, even after the sensor 68 no longer detects a person in the vicinity of apparatus 30, the controller 122 maintains fan 86 on for about 15-120 seconds (this is a variable duration that may be set by the manufacturer). In one preferred embodiment, the fan stays on 30 seconds after a user leaves. After the preset duration, the controller 122 turns the fan 86 off and goes back to a monitoring state until a person is detected again.

The controller 122 also monitors the state of the battery 90. If the controller determines that the battery 90 is getting depleted, the controller 122 activates light 70 to indicate to the user that a replacement battery is needed. The light 70 stays on (or blinks continuously) until the battery is replaced. In one embodiment, the battery 90 is checked after every time the toilet is used.

The accompanying drawings only illustrate a portable odor-eliminating apparatus, its constituent parts, and method of use. However, other types and styles are possible, and the drawings are not intended to be limiting in that regard. Thus, although the description above and accompanying drawings contains much specificity, the details provided should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiment(s) but merely as providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiment(s). The drawings and the description are not to be taken as restrictive on the scope of the embodiment(s) and are understood as broad and general teachings in accordance with the present invention. While the present embodiment(s) of the invention have been described using specific terms, such description is for present illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that modifications and variations to such embodiments, including but not limited to the substitutions of equivalent features, materials, or parts, and the reversal of various features thereof, may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

I claim:
 1. An odor eliminating apparatus arranged to eliminate gases accumulated above a water level in a toilet bowl with a circumferential lip having a horizontal lip surface, said apparatus comprising: a housing having a gas intake including a horizontal portion extending across said lip surface and an extension having an air inlet below the lip surface and arranged and constructed to collect gases in the headspace of water in the toilet bowl, said housing further including a main chamber with an air exhaust; a fan disposed in said main chamber and arranged to establish an air flow between said air inlet and said air exhaust; and a filter in the housing disposed in said air flow.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein filter includes an active filter element arranged to remove odor-producing components from said head space.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said active filter is a carbon filter.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said filter includes a deodorizing element.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said scent filter element includes a gel selectively releasing scented particles.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing is arranged and construction for selective attachment to and removal from said lip.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a control element selectively activating said fan.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said control element includes a switch and a microprocessor selectively activated by said switch.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said microprocessor receives a signal from said switch and selectively activates said fan in response.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said microprocessor maintains said fan on for a predetermined time after each use.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said switch senses a person nearby and generates said signal in response.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said switch is a proximity sensor.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising an operational light disposed on said housing and indicating that said apparatus is operational.
 14. The apparatus of claim 8 further including a battery for providing power to the fan.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 where the filter may be readily removed from the apparatus.
 16. A toilet assembly comprising: a toilet bowl having a bowl outer wall and a toilet bowl lip with a horizontal lip surface, a toilet seat disposed above said horizontal lip surface, said toilet bowl being arranged and constructed to hold water with headspace disposed above said water; and an apparatus attached to said toilet bowl and including a gas intake disposed inside said bowl, an air exhaust disposed outside said bowl adjacent to said bowl outer wall and a fan arranged to establish an air flow between said air intake and said air exhaust to remove odorous compounds from said head space.
 17. The assembly of claim 15 wherein said apparatus includes a device housing having a horizontal portion disposed between said toilet seat and said bowl lip, an extension extending downwardly from said lip toward said water and including at least one downwardly oriented opening forming said air inlet and a main chamber with said fan.
 18. The assembly of claim 15 further comprising a filter disposed in said air flow and adapted to remove said odorous compounds.
 19. The assembly of claim 16 further comprising a controller operating said fan.
 20. The assembly of claim 19 wherein said controller includes a proximity switch disposed on said housing laterally adjacent to said seat.
 21. The assembly of claim 16 further comprising a light disposed on said housing and oriented to illuminate the bowl.
 22. The assembly of claim 16 further comprising a light disposed on said housing and oriented to disinfect the bowl.
 23. An odor eliminating apparatus arranged to eliminate gases accumulated above a water level in a toilet bowl with a circumferential lip having a horizontal lip surface, said apparatus comprising: a first piece defining an open cavity, a second piece having an L-shape with a a first horizontal wall and a first vertical wall; and a third piece having a second and a third vertical wall and a second horizontal wall, said three pieces when assembled forming: a housing having a gas intake including a horizontal portion extending across said lip surface and an extension having an air inlet below the lip surface and arranged and constructed to collect gases in the headspace of water in the toilet bowl, said housing further including a main cavity with an air exhaust; said horizontal and portion being defined by said first and second horizontal walls and said extension being defined by said second and third vertical walls, and said main cavity being formed by said first piece and said first vertical wall; a fan disposed in said main chamber and arranged to establish an air flow between said air inlet and said air exhaust; and a filter in the housing disposed in said air flow. 